(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to book retaining devices, and more particularly relates to a device for retaining and preventing unauthorized removal of a telephone directory from a holder therefor and to a method of using the device.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Holding and retaining devices have been heretofore advanced for supporting and retaining books, such as telephone directories, in an area of use so that the directories can be shifted from an unobtrusive, storage position to a position where the pages of the directory may be conveniently viewed by a user. An example of a telephone directory holder for accomplishing the foregoing objectives is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,212 to Nawman.
Supporting devices for supporting catalogs, telephone directories and the like on a horizontal support surface, for use by the public and which prevent unauthorized removal of the book from the support surface, have also been developed. An example of a book support attachment which permits a telephone directory or the like to be swung between a usable position resting on the top of a cabinet structure, or to a stored position within the cabinet, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,612,427 to Faulkner et al.
The book support attachment disclosed in the Faulkner et al patent also includes a plurality of laterally spaced rods, which extend longitudinally through the gutters of the book in spaced relation to the back thereof and which are usually effective to prevent unauthorized removal of the book from the attachment and support. While the rods employed in the attachment of the Faulkner et al patent, and similar devices, discourage removal of an associated book from the device and an area of use, with effort, the restraining rods can be disengaged from the associated book and the latter thereafter misplaced or stolen. Moreover, book restraining rods such as are employed in the Faulkner et al patent frequently covered portions of the printing, which is undesirable. In addition, it was usually tedious and time consuming to disengage the rods from and reengage the rods with the book, whenever it became necessary to remove and/or replace a book that was previously engaged with a device such as the Faulkner et al attachment.